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• 1 Language_and_Mind // Oct 13, 2008 at 7:41 pm

  My brother-in-law died Wednesday. Yes, it was cancer. Barely 50, he was young, and young at heart. LF was kind and brilliant, a warm welcoming bear of a man, always ready with a quip and a contagious laugh. He had been coping with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and treatments for a number of years, too many years. All of us get to share our lives, but he gave far more than he received. He was a neuroscientist, so his gifts and his sharing were out of the ordinary. With great modesty, and without hesitation, he radiated love of learning and life. It has been a difficult time, especially for his exquisite wife and three magnificent sons, for his mother and father, and his very dear brother. For those who had the marvelous good fortune to know him, his courage and love and laughter fill our hearts today. These are tragic circumstances… yes… but there is much to learn from them, and much to learn about doing battle with grave diseases. I keep thinking of Carol’s powerful video remarks from a few months ago, now linked to this space—we must not let our lives, nor our children’s lives, be defined by tragedy. Yes, tragedy will insert itself, and every which way, into our reality. We won’t get over it, but we will cope. We will not be consumed by tragedy, but we will get through it. Our hearts will fill with courage, as we cherish those who have mattered in our lives. We will share and laugh and love again. Farewell, LF.

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